Acclaimed Japanese Jazz Pianist Yōsuke Yamashita Plays a Burning Piano on the Beach
PIANIST
Woody: A Prize-Winning Short Animation About a Wooden Man’s Dream of Becoming a Concert Pianist
A 13 Year-Old pianist Is nominated For A Grammy
Interview: Thalia Myers, pianist
Who or what inspired you to take up the piano, and pursue a career in music?
There was no piano in the house when I was a small child, but whenever we visited my mother’s sister, a talented and accomplished amateur pianist, I was transfixed by the sound of her playing and longed to be able to do it too. And at the age of ten, I heard a recording of Dinu Lipatti playing Chopin and never looked back.
Who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?
Three fine and generous teachers: Cyril Smith, Ilona Kabos and Peter Feuchtwanger; musical colleagues; my students
What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?
Learning how to practise; learning how to harness performance nerves; learning how to balance perfectionism and realism.
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The Pianist Who Owes His Career To An Austrian Chancellor
Rudolf Buchbinder, who turns 70 today, is reckoned to have played the complete cycle of 32 Beethoven sonatas more than 50 times. In a flurry of Viennese press encomia for his birthday it is being recalled that Buchbinder caught the ear of the Austrian chancellor Julius Raab in 1957, when he was ten years old.
Bundeskanzler Raab found him a teacher and paid privately for his lessons. Soon after, Buchbinder became the youngest student ever admitted to the Vienna Musikakademie.
Raab ruled Austria in a conservative-socialist coalition from 1953 to 1961. He is widely considered to be the most important founder of the post-war republic.
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Celebrate the 225th Anniversary Of Mozart’s Death With A Magnificent Concert
Get your tickets here.
The Art Of Piano ~ Respiro E Movimento In The News